Inexplicable Failure
by Matt1969
Summary: Jack’s thoughts during the first scene of Fallout. SPOILERS: For Season 7’s Fallout and Grace episodes


TITLE: Inexplicable Failure

AUTHOR: Matt, January 2004

SUMMARY: Jack's thoughts during the first scene of Fallout.

RATING: PG-13

SEASON / SPOILERS: For Season 7's Fallout. with mentions of the episode Grace..

DISCLAIMER: Characters and the episode are not mine. I'm not sure if I want to claim Jack's thoughts.

THANKS: To Allie for the beta. And to those who responded so quickly with the script excerpts I needed from Fallout.

FEEDBACK: Always welcome.

"I assume this makes sense to you."

"Actually, no it doesn't."

Okay, now he's officially in trouble. Sam Carter – all round geek, brains AND beauty, what a combination! – has failed him.

She has absolutely no clue what Jonas is on about, and he'd already tuned the Kelownan out in the hope that Carter would smile and explain it all to him.

Damn!

How many times has this happened in the past seven years? He isn't sure, but he's already certain he can count those times on one hand – one finger, even.

This has to be a first.

Okay, so Jonas is somewhat of a genius back home, but c'mon, he's never left Carter stumbling in the dark.

Oh great, now he's on the verge of a cliché.

The fact is - he's got used to the translations she provides on a regular basis. Sure, he understands most of what's going on, but these scientist types have a habit of being long-winded. He's got Carter trained. She's grown to be quite succinct these days.

Oh wait, there's a glimmer of hope. Perhaps he has her too well-trained. Perhaps her "no" really means, "Well, Sir, I've got a theory he's talking about this, and the fact that this has happened. But as for making sense? No, Sir, because I'm not sure how something like this can happen. That's the bit that doesn't make sense."

Yeah, perhaps that's it. Because frankly? He doesn't have a clue as to how something like this could happen and he's not talking Naquadria deposits either. He's still wondering how Carter – his Carter – can tell him she doesn't have a clue. He used to be certain of two things in life – taxes, and Carter's brain. Forget death – he's seen too many sarcophagi to be certain of death anymore. Now it looks as though all he might have left are taxes and, if given the choice, he'd rather have Carter.

Her brain, of course, he hastily amends to himself. He'd rather have Carter's brain than taxes. Okay, so Carter's brain is part of her, he excuses. There's her brain, and her good looks, and that dazzling smile of hers. Never mind her wicked sense of humour and...

Oh god, he missed her when she was on the Prometheus the other week. He was so worried about her. They're a team – they're supposed to get into trouble together. It's just the way things are. He wasn't sure he could have carried on if she'd not returned – but here she is, sitting across the table from him, and all's right with the world.

Except it's not, because she just admitted something he never wanted to hear – or expected to hear either. She might as well have announced she was dating, or getting married or something, for crying out loud.

That glimmer of hope he had earlier? It's dulled to a rusty reality. Carter's said she doesn't understand. This could set a nasty precedent. There could be more occasions like this, and that would mean he has to start paying more attention to what's going on around him?

Hmm... maybe she's not exactly paying attention to Jonas either. Come to think of it, she's been behaving a little differently since she returned from her Prometheus trip. And she did call him Jack in the infirmary that time. Okay, so she'd been a little groggy, but did that mean she'd been dreaming about him when she'd been out of it? Because, heaven knows he's had some wild dreams about her.

Maybe that's it. Maybe she'll explain everything to him later, in a beautiful, sexy voice while they're in bed together. Naked. Yeah, right, Jack chides himself. And that will only happen in your dreams.

Time to change that train of thought. Perhaps listening to Jonas might help – a turn off, so to speak. Who knows? Perhaps he can explain it to Carter later? Over dinner maybe? A few beers on his roof?

Jonas. Listen to Jonas. Talk to Carter later. Remind her of her duties to the team and its leader.

And figure out what the hell went so wrong with her brain this morning as well.

FINIS


End file.
